"D Minus Zero" - Episode #104 (slight spoilers below) (Click here for synopsis)

A few questionable points, but overall a vast improvement over the last episode!

Seeking information and supplies from the remains of a Commonwealth ship makes sense given the situation and the attack by an unknown attacker made for interesting plot points. My only concern is that the coming episodes not beat the 'searching for supplies' idea to death, given that it was central to the previous episode. However, the plot this week gave a lot of opportunities for character development as detailed below.

Dylan's handling of the power plays by Beka and Tyr is believable and well balanced by his private doubts, as well as his responsiveness to Rev Bem's advice. By the way, it was good to see Rev does not always 'yes' Dylan, but has a mind of his own even if his loyalties lie with Dylan for now.

Beka's character is perhaps not as well handled this week. Given her agreement to serve under Dylan it is a little hard to believe how quickly and strongly she attempts to give the orders in crisis situations.

On the other hand Tyr comes across well as aggressive, but with some intelligent reasons for his feelings. His concerns about Dylan's lack of current understanding during the basketball game and during the hallway conversation are legitimate concerns even if voiced in a bit hot headed way.

Seamus is also turning out to be an interesting character, snappy yet apparently eager to please and succeed. However, Trance does not fair as well, continuing to seem pretty much like 'filler' on the crew.

Finally 'Rommie' (the ship's AI played by Lexa Doig) is fairly understated and also could use some further development. Her 'caressing' of the picture of Dylan is suggestive of her feelings toward him, which may or may not extend beyond friendly concern for a man who is struggling to adapt to a difficult situation.

The use of missiles (rather than energy beams) as the major weapon is consistent with previously seen 'science' of the day. However, in this case I expect a greater reliance on 'fighter' ships, similar to the situation on a modern aircraft carrier. This does point out one possible inconsistency since in the prior episode they did not have the weapons to repel even a 'probe', though it is possible they were able to restock at that base.

By the way, having the enemy ship's identity never revealed is a nice touch and gives some room for later development here.

The rating for the episode is given below. For information on how my rating system works, click on this link.

Reviewed 10/31/00 by Larry Kramer       Updated 10/11/01

© 2001 Larry Kramer (See Copyright Disclaimer)